Grammy Awards To Allow Samples In All Songwriting Categories

Best Rap Song no longer the only songwriting category to allow songs that use samples and interpolations.

Radio.com reports that the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees has made a handful of changes to the annual Grammy Awards. Among the most significant changes is one that will allow songs, which use samples or interpolations from another song, to be nominated in any songwriting category.

Previously, the only songwriting category such a song could be nominated in was Best Rap Song.

“Samples or interpolations of previously written songs are now allowed in all songwriting categories: Song Of The Year, Best Rock Song, Best R&B Song, Best Country Song, Best Gospel Song, Best Contemporary Christian Music Song, Best American Roots Song, and Best Song Written For Visual Media. Previously, samples or interpolations were allowed in only one songwriting category: Best Rap Song, in recognition of the unique craft of writing rap songs,” read a Grammy press release dated June 12.

Radio.com listed Jay Z’s 2003 record “99 Problems” as a song that previously wouldn’t have been eligible for Song of the Year due to its use of sampling, but under this new change would be eligible for Song of the Year and other songwriting-based categories.

In addition to the new ruling on songwriting categories, the Recording Academy’s Board of Trustees also welcomed a new category to the Grammy Awards, Best American Roots Performance.

All rulings are expected to go into effect in time for the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 8, 2015.